Loading summary
A
This message comes from Carvana, who makes buying and financing your next car easy. Thousands of vehicles, terms up front and 100% online. Even get it delivered to your door. Buy your car the easy way with Carvana. Delivery fee may apply.
B
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. A day after President Trump said the U.S. attacked a facility in Venezuela, a U.S. official confirmed with NPR it was the CIA. While Washington has been waging a campaign against alleged drug boats in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, but Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accuses the US of attempting to topple his government, Israel is barring 37 more aid organizations from operating in Gaza, including Doctors Without Borders. NPR's Aya Batrawi reports. Israel says these aid groups fail to meet security standards.
C
Israel's decision revokes the permits of groups like Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Mercy Corps, and Doctors Without Borders or msf. These aid groups work, respectively on issues related to water and desalination, tents and shelter supplies, food distribution and healthcare. And they have also documented in detail Israel's war in Gaza, criticizing the breadth of destruction and killing by Israeli forces while also providing firsthand accounts from Gaza at a time when international media remains banned. Humanity and Inclusion, which handles unexploded bombs left by the military, is also among the banned groups. Now Israel says staff of some groups were involved in terrorist activity and that the 37 aid groups did not meet security and transparency requirements. MSF says this prevents organizations from providing essential services to people in both Gaza and the West Bank. Aya Baltraui, NPR News, Dubai.
B
South Sudanese migrants at risk of being deported have secured a court reprieve. Today. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from ending deportation protections for more than 200 people until the new year. A federal judge has stopped the administration's latest attempt to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. NPR's Stephen Bazaha has details.
D
CFPB gets its funding from the Federal Reserve. The Trump administration argues that since the Fed has been operating at a loss, there is not the money to keep the financial watchdog running. But Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected that argument. She already has a preliminary injunction preventing the White House from shutting down the cfpb. And she wrote in a ruling that this is an unabashed attempt to just do that in a different way. Other legal battles have prevented several mass layoffs there, but President Trump has been clear he wants the CFPB gone. Acting Director Russell Vogt has stopped most of the Consumer Oriented Bureau's work. And Judge Berman Jackson wrote that the CFPB is hanging by a thread. Stephen Bassaha, NPR News.
B
New York City Mayor Elect Zoran Mamdani's new administration is starting to take shape. Before he sworn in, he announced more appointments today, including oversight of Health and Human Services and the city's Corporation Council. While revelers gather at Times Square on New Year's Eve, state Attorney General Letitia James will swear in Mamdadi during a small private ceremony underground at an old abandoned subway station. James tells the New York Times the location is fitting. The subway system is New York's lifeblood. A second ceremonial inauguration will be held outside City Hall. From Washington, this is NPR News. The echoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams says security at Times Square will be heavy.
E
We will have plainclothes K9 teams, officers on horsebacks on our trains, subway stations and in helicopters and on boats. Pedestrians and vehicle closures will be in effect leading up to and during the event. Security is everyone's responsibility. Again, see something, say something, do something.
B
Adams says there are no credible threats to the city's festivities, but warn protesters there will be zero tolerance for interfering in the celebrations. A Trump administration planned to end the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate climate warming greenhouse gases has been delayed. NPR's Jeff Brady reports. EPA was expected to finish the wind down by the end of this year.
F
The Trump administration wants to eliminate the endangerment finding. In 2009, during the Obama administration, the EPA found that greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels are warming the climate and endangering public health and welfare. Trump has called climate change a con job and sought to reverse President Biden's climate agenda. The endangerment finding is the basis for regulating human caused climate pollution from power plants, cars and the oil and gas industry. EPA press secretary Bridget Hersh says the 43 day government shutdown this fall delayed work on rescinding the finding. While the rulemaking was expected to wrap up by the end of the year, that likely will come in the new year now. Jeff Brady, NPR News.
B
U.S. stocks ended the day lower, with the Dow down 94 points. This is NPR News.
G
Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now +@ +npr.org. that's +npr.org.
Host: Lakshmi Singh
Duration: 5 minutes
This NPR News Now episode delivers concise updates on top world and U.S. stories as of late December 30, 2025. The newscast covers American covert action in Venezuela, humanitarian fallout in Gaza, legal battles over consumer protections, political changes in New York City, heightened New Year's Eve security, and delays in environmental regulations rollback. The rapid-fire style prioritizes major headlines with direct expert reporting and official commentary.
[00:16–00:51]
Lakshmi Singh [00:28]: "...a U.S. official confirmed with NPR it was the CIA...Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accuses the US of attempting to topple his government..."
[00:51–01:36]
Aya Batrawi [01:14]: "These aid groups...have also documented in detail Israel's war in Gaza, criticizing the breadth of destruction and killing by Israeli forces while also providing firsthand accounts from Gaza at a time when international media remains banned."
Aya Batrawi [01:28]: "MSF says this prevents organizations from providing essential services to people in both Gaza and the West Bank."
[01:36–02:34]
Stephen Bazaha [02:22]: "And Judge Berman Jackson wrote that the CFPB is hanging by a thread."
[02:34–03:43]
Mayor Eric Adams [03:22]: "We will have plainclothes K9 teams, officers on horsebacks on our trains, subway stations and in helicopters and on boats...Security is everyone's responsibility. Again, see something, say something, do something."
[03:44–04:48]
Jeff Brady [04:09]: "Trump has called climate change a con job and sought to reverse President Biden's climate agenda. The endangerment finding is the basis for regulating human caused climate pollution from power plants, cars and the oil and gas industry."
[04:48–04:55]
NPR News Now maintains a brisk, professional delivery, quickly covering pressing domestic and international developments. The tone is serious, direct, and informative, with succinct attributions and clips from field reporters and officials.